


Take Me Away

by Kaye_Fraser



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, morning tea, sunrise, trips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-27
Updated: 2017-08-27
Packaged: 2018-12-20 16:34:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11924850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaye_Fraser/pseuds/Kaye_Fraser
Summary: Sometimes, Alec needs to get away.  And every time, Magnus is happy to oblige.





	Take Me Away

**Author's Note:**

> Hello,
> 
> If you're interested in some of my ramblings about this story, it's here: https://kayefraser.tumblr.com
> 
> Otherwise, happy reading!
> 
> Cheers,  
> K.

"I need to get out of here." 

Magnus looked up from the dehydrated chameleon skin he'd been grinding, surprised to see Alec stride into his workroom with heavy steps. He cast a quick glance over at the clock on his side table – a trinket he'd picked up somewhere in nineteenth century Switzerland – and paused what he was doing. 

Five o'clock. 

The sun was still out, and Alec was home already. Normally, a Shadowhunter's day wouldn't have even started yet. Strange indeed. 

"Alec, wha – " He stopped himself when he noticed the dark set of the other man's features: hooded eyes, clenched jaw, and lips thinned in a downturned line. This wasn't a time for talk. Without another word, he put down the mortar and pestle, and stood. His chair scraped mutedly along the hardwood floor as he stepped around the table toward his boyfriend. Tension practically radiated from Alec, an almost palpable sensation that seemed to dampen Magnus' mood as well. 

Well, he couldn't have that. Not when he'd had a fun-filled evening of vodka martinis and socializing with old friends scheduled. Still, those plans could wait, especially when a certain Shadowhunter came unexpectedly into the picture. The ever-familiar tingle of magic danced over the tips of his fingers, little pinpricks of comforting heat already conjuring a portal without much conscious thought. 

"Come with me," he said lowly, seriously, noting that Alec didn't need questions right now. He grasped the younger man's hand, fingers interlocking, and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Not that Alec needed it, Magnus knew. With everything they'd been through together, he had a feeling the Shadowhunter would've followed him regardless. 

They stepped through the portal, and after the initial static charge of magic disappeared, a shock of cool air ghosted over their skin. Magnus took a deep breath; there was something different, foreign, majestic, and – dare he say it – old about it. 

Alec paused behind him, and pulled away. "Where are we?" he asked as he looked around at their dark surroundings. 

A small, anticipatory smile played on Magnus' lips. "Why don't you go and find out? Just watch your step." Even with the grainy, gray light, Alec's enhanced reflexes would've pre-empted any warnings Magnus gave. Nevertheless, he gave them and followed the younger man through the open, arched entryway. 

Alec's audible gasp seconds later caused a little pulse of happiness to ripple through him. He really did enjoy showing Alexander new – or in this case, old – things. 

"Magnus …" 

He stepped up beside the younger man, and rested his elbows on a studier, flat part of the low, stone wall. A short gust of wind ruffled Alec's messy hair, and Magnus watched that dark, strained expression from earlier give way to a look of almost childish wonderment. 

"So, I take it you've never been to the Great Wall of China before?" he asked bemusedly. 

Alec arched a sardonic eyebrow at him that was all the answer he needed. Then, without a word, he turned back to look down and up and around at anything and everything his eyes could see. A vast, hilly landscape stretched out before them, varied shades of dim green and brown covered with patchy mist. The air, though crisp from the early morning temperature, was thin. But what was most impressive was the structure of man-built stone winding through the peaks and valleys into the distant horizon. 

"We're so high up," Alec noted quietly, whether to himself or to the both of them, Magnus didn't know. 

"We are technically in a mountain range. And we're standing on tower at one of its highest points." 

Alec made a contemplative sound. "So, are you going to tell me that you were here when this thing was being built?" 

A quiet chuckle escaped before Magnus could stop it. "Why, Mr. Lightwood, are you accusing me of being boastful and a braggart?" 

"Never." Yet, the small smirk on the younger man's face said otherwise. 

They stood silently for several minutes after that, soaking in the grandness around them. There was an eerie stillness about everything, as if they existed within a fragile bubble that would inevitably burst. But not once did Magnus feel anything but calm. 

"It's peaceful up here," Alec finally said. 

Magnus nodded in agreement. "It is. The tourists haven't even started piling in yet, and we're in one of the more remote sections, so it'll take some time before they can hike their way here." 

"Is that why you brought me here? For the peace and quiet?" 

"Partly." Then, with a quick flick of his wrist and snap of his fingers, Magnus felt two hot ceramic mugs materialize in his hands. He passed one over to his boyfriend before taking a quick sip from his own cup. "The other part was this: tea from one of my favorite shops in Beijing while watching that." 

As if on cue, a sliver of red-orange light cut over the distant hills and slowly breathed color to their surrounding landscape. They watched as the earth around them came back to life, roused from its deep sleep by the rising sun – a continuous cycle that had been turning since the first stone of the Wall was laid. The only sound Magnus heard was the awed intake of breath as the heat of the morning light began to warm their skin. He glanced at Alec from the corner of his eye, himself in awe as the red-tinged glow of the upcoming day painted the handsome planes and angles of the younger man's face. 

"Did you want to talk about it?" he finally asked after the sun had visibly made its way onto the horizon. 

Alec took a sip of his tea, and straightened. "It's stupid, now that I think about it." 

"It was enough to make you upset, so I would not label it as stupid." 

"It's … I just – " Alec opened his mouth, and closed it again, trying to find the right words. "It's just work. I don't know why it's getting to me. The Clave sent me a message saying that I needed to adhere to some new approval process for missions. There's also a contingent visiting from the Barcelona Institute who's shadowing me and I'm barely keeping up with all my own duties, let alone answering their questions and justifying my day-to-day decisions. Add to that, my mother asking if I need some help with the reports I'm already late on. And today, when I got a request from the Clave to take a validation test to make sure I'm performing properly as a head of an Institute, I just couldn't take it anymore." He paused, and took a breath. "It's not like I haven't handled this kind of stress before, Magnus. I've handled way worse. I can't understand why I'm letting it bother me." 

Magnus listened and waited patiently for Alec to finish venting. "Hmm, I think you do," he said after a few seconds. "I think you know why you're so bothered by it, but you just don't know how to articulate it yet." 

Those piercing eyes fell on him, looking for some help. "Care to enlighten me?" 

"You take pride in what you do, Alexander. I've seen you accomplish the most outrageous goals with effortless skill and determination. I couldn't be more proud of what you've done in the short time you've had. And I think, deep down, you are too. Proud that is, even though you won't admit it. Now, it sounds to me that everything that has happened recently is casting all that into doubt. Your competence, your abilities, your very identity is being challenged. It's not very apparent, and maybe that isn't the point of all these requests made of you, but _you_ believe they are, and you're understandably upset." 

Alec wrapped his hands around his cup for a moment, seemingly processing everything Magnus had said. He stared down, and then up into the distance, expression neutral. And then, "Maybe. Maybe you're right." 

"I always am, darling," Magnus threw out teasingly. 

That charming half-smile played on Alec's lips, and Magnus' own spirits rose at its appearance. "I guess I'm feeling like everyone's treating me as if I'm a new Shadowhunter or something, even though they probably don't mean it that way. It still makes me mad though." 

"Mad enough to walk out of the Institute in the middle of the work day still?" 

Alec released a huff of breath and visibly relaxed his posture, as if shaking off whatever dark cloud had been looming over him. "Not that bad anymore. I guess being here, seeing how small and insignificant we are to the whole grand scheme of things, puts things into perspective a bit. I feel a bit selfish now." 

Magnus laughed lightly, warmed by the part he'd played in changing his boyfriend's mood for the better. "Never, Alexander. Impetuous and stubborn, maybe, but never selfish." He leaned in, planning to land a quick kiss on those sinfully enticing lips, but Alec had other plans. Strong, firm hands held him in place as Alec prolonged their contact, nipping and pulling until Magnus swore his toes had curled in his favorite pair of Finsbury. 

When they finally broke away – the need for air was damned inconvenient at times – Alec stared at him with a slight glaze in his eyes, a glaze that was likely mirrored in Magnus' own. "Thank you, Magnus," the younger man said. "I needed this." 

"It was my pleasure." Magnus straightened, and tried to compose himself, no small feat considering he could still taste Alec on his lips. He thought he did so quite admirably. "Ready to go back and face the Clave-designed labyrinth of paperwork and red tape?" 

Alec quickly swallowed the rest of his tea before pushing away from the edge. His whole posture spoke of a renewed resolve. "No, but that hasn't stopped me before." 

"There's the Alexander I know and love." As much as he would've loved to linger in their own private corner of the world, he knew Alec. He knew the man well enough to understand that the Shadowhunter would never run away from his duties, no matter how despised they were. Magnus snapped their cups back to the shop he'd borrowed them from, and channeled his magic to create a portal. 

"Me too," Alec said, still standing in place. 

"Huh?" 

"I love you too." 

Something softened inside Magnus at the words, words he'd once thought he'd never hear. He smiled, hoping and wishing and praying that they would continue to have a lifetime of these perfect moments. "Thanks, darling." He held out a hand, which Alec took without hesitation. "Now, let's go home." 

Alec nodded, and together, they stepped through the portal, back to their daily lives. 


End file.
